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What is more Sensible - Higher Ideals or Limited Goals?

September 27th, 2018

Neoclassical thinkers (18th Century Europe) believed that human nature is imperfect, human achievements are necessarily limited, and, therefore, human aims should be sensibly limited as well. It was better to set a moderate goal, whether in art or society, and achieve it well, than to strive for an infinite ideal and fail.

John Donne (17th Century Poet), on the other hand, says it is better to have a higher ideal and fail, than to have a limited goal and succeed.

What do you think?

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User Profile: incompl
incompl September 27th, 2018

@Fristo

I think I am a John Donne in this scenario

1 reply
September 27th, 2018

@incompl Robert Browning (19th Century Poet) is also a John Donne. He says:

"Shall life succeed in that it seems to fail:

What I aspired to be,
And was not, comforts me:

A brute I might have been, but would not sink i' the scale."

2 replies
User Profile: incompl
incompl September 27th, 2018

@Fristo

Looks like it skips centuries then :) for the 21st Century I am right on target

1 reply
September 27th, 2018

@incompl hehe, nice observation. 17, 19, and now you at 21. : )

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User Profile: RexG
RexG September 27th, 2018

@incompl

Me too, its the high ideals, too, that change the world and make real progress... Because if we would only do what we knew we could do...

Btw lol nicely noticed numbers smiley

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User Profile: RideaRainbow
RideaRainbow September 27th, 2018

I think Higher Ideals and Few Goals may a perfect combo.....

User Profile: AbejaReina
AbejaReina September 27th, 2018

I think it's good to start out with smaller goals so you can get the rush of accomplishing them. This builds up momentum to take on larger goals. Bite sized pieces are always way earier to tackle. Although, when I'm feeling really inspired, I'll choose to go all in

1 reply
September 28th, 2018

@AbejaReina Very liked to read that, Abeja. Yes, it starts with little, and as we feel inspired, we are all for it. :)

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User Profile: ItsPreeti
ItsPreeti September 28th, 2018

I believe limited goals because we can dream higher,higher and higher but difficult to reach our lots of goals,so limited goals is better Fristo ji.

User Profile: gloriousStar32
gloriousStar32 October 5th, 2018

@Fristo

I feel that you have to set your goals based purely on your capacity and just challenge your limits

User Profile: IntrovertedDreamer73409
IntrovertedDreamer73409 October 15th, 2018

@Fristo

When encountering such questions, I'd say:-

I don't know, but you don't know better.